Often, flyers serve just one purpose: to remind you that you forgot to put up the sign that says… you don’t want them! So you grab the stack of print material delivered to your door and, with a mild sense of guilt, drop it in the recycling box.

No one wants to spend time studying the details of an ad, but everyone wants to take advantage of discounts. To facilitate the shopping experience, Metro – working closely with agencies Tink and Publicis – has launched the “Just for Me” campaign that provides all users with a personalized digital environment.

“The goal was to simplify a task that is – let’s face it – a bit boring,” states Antoine Desjardins, Vice-President of Consulting Services at Tink. “The objective was to give consumers access to discounts that are right for them and relegate other offers to the background.”

The “Just for Me” platform (web and mobile) allows users to create a personal profile that evolves and improves over time. It includes coupons for products they like and a flyer that is structured in accordance with their preferences.

“The result is a significantly enhanced in-store experience,” says Antoine Desjardins. “Discount coupons are traditionally a way of directing consumer choice; conversely, Metro’s philosophy is to enable customers to save on the products they purchase regularly.”

The digital ecosystem behind such an application is complex and required close and constant collaboration among three different teams: from the Tink digital agency; from the Publicis communications agency; and from Metro. “It was Metro’s idea,” says Antoine Desjardins. “We needed to strike a balance between the needs of the grocery chain, the vision of the creative team, and the constraints of the technology. We drew inspiration from the best business practices in retail, but also in other industries in Canada and elsewhere. But the crucial thing was to comply with the security rules established by Metro to protect customers’ personal information.”

The experience-enhancing process is ongoing; while Antoine Desjardins cannot reveal any details, he says that shopping at Metro will continue to improve in the years ahead.